


Turn It Up and Throw a Tantrum

by DistractionCake



Series: Lately, I ain't been in my feelings 💫 [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Is this crack?, SEASON 2 REIMAGINED
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21538051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistractionCake/pseuds/DistractionCake
Summary: PREVIEW:"This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government.A lone speaker on a utility pole crackles out the garbled message, but at this point in their lives? They all know it by heart. In truth, all they’re really waiting for is the siren.That distinctive, bone-chilling, blood-curdling, siren."SUMMARY:SEASON 2 REIMAGINED| Episode 2x06 → The Purge AU
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Series: Lately, I ain't been in my feelings 💫 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1552237
Comments: 12
Kudos: 91





	Turn It Up and Throw a Tantrum

**Author's Note:**

> hi, hello ✌🏼 i made some [ANNOUNCEMENTs](https://distractioncake.tumblr.com/tagged/announcement) over on my tumblr yesterday that you may or may not have seen. in any case, the TL;DR version: no i do _not_ have the next chapter of the **roadtrip fic** ready yet! (it's coming though, don't worry! ❤️) i do, however, have this for you guys 😬
> 
> so let me explain what _this_ is:
> 
> _A reimagining of all of Cheryl & Toni’s AKA Choni’s moments in s2, done so through the lens of other fanfic tropes, universes, and the occasional crack. They are not interconnected, but each one corresponds to a particular episode in s2._
> 
> with that in mind, let's go! hope you guys enjoy it! 💕

* * *

_This is not a test._

Toni smirks from her place leaning up against her motorcycle, as the announcement begins and the entire crowd hushes to hear it in its entirety.

_This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government._

A lone speaker on a utility pole crackles out the garbled message, but at this point in their lives? They all know it by heart. In truth, all they’re really waiting for is the siren. 

That distinctive, bone-chilling, blood-curdling, siren.

 _Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted._

Toni pushes herself off her bike and begins her trek up to where both cars are sat running — waiting for their cue to start. As she makes her way over, she takes the opportunity to glance around. 

The Ghoulies stand on one side.   
The Serpents crowded on the other. 

And curiously enough? 

Northsiders mingling just on the edge of it all. 

She catches the slightly anxious looks on their faces and imagines most of them are used to spending Purge Night in the safety of their homes. State of the art security systems and all that.

_Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed._

She briefly wonders how much of their presence here tonight is actually about supporting Jones versus their own morbid curiosity. Looking for any excuse to finally have their first proper Purge Night.

Toni remembers hers. 

She was 7. 

_Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours._

As she’s about to make her way between the cars, someone suddenly cuts across in front of her, causing Toni stop in her tracks.

The redhead barely glances at Toni, tossing her hair in her direction, as she walks over to take Toni’s place between both cars. Toni can’t help but chuckle at the bravado of it all. _Guess some Northsiders do have some bite_ , Toni thinks as she glances back over to Sweet Pea and Fangs. Sweet Pea rolls his eyes, while Fangs gives her a shit-eating grin at the turn of events. Toni doesn’t hesitate to quickly walk back over to them. 

Allows herself to enjoy the show for once.

_Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at 7 a.m., when The Purge concludes._

As Toni reaches their side once more, she hears the two cars rev their engines. 

_Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn._

It feels as if the entire crowd collectively holds its breath.

_May God be with you all._

The siren goes off once.  
  
Twice.  
  
Three Times.

And they’re off!

The redhead holding her pose for a beat, before turning on her heels — almost like she was born for this moment.

Loud cheers suddenly fill the area as they watch both cars rush down the empty stretch of road.

Toni eyes the redhead as she walks back over to her group of Northsiders, a smirk painted on her ruby red lips.

“Total bombshell,” she hears Fangs says to her.

“You’re telling me,” Toni answers back shooting him a grin.

“You two done yet?” Sweet Pea suddenly cuts in.

“Come on, Sweets. Even you gotta appreciate legs like those,” Fangs answers back, giving him a playful shove.

“Not the time or place, Fogarty. Keep your wits about you,” he mutters as he turns to walk over to Tall Boy.

Toni sighs. _He’s right_ , she thinks as she and Fangs share a look. A raised eyebrow on her face, a sigh on his lips as he turns to follow Sweet Pea. Toni takes the opportunity then to glance around once more. 

The Ghoulies on one side.   
The Serpents crowded on the other. 

The Northsiders still at the edge of things. 

And while there’s order to this chaos, Toni can’t begrudge Sweet Pea his weariness — there’s nothing stopping tonight from turning into one hell of a bloody mess at a moments notice.

Purge Pact be damned. 

Toni sighs again and prays Jones can bring this home.

Because you see, while crime may only truly be legal one night of the year, that doesn’t suddenly stop crime from happening every single other fucking day of the year. At least, that’s how it’s always been on the Southside. Just a little bit more ordered than before. You see, after one particular bloody Purge Night, the Serpents and the Ghoulies reached a tentative truce.

An agreement:

A street race.

Held on Purge Night, it would determine who would run the Southside for the next year. Most would think something like that wouldn’t hold up, but even the scum of the earth can keep its word. Honor among thieves and all that. And so, for the last 5 years or so, the Serpents have managed to hold on to their turf. Winning without much trouble — that is, until _tonight_.

Because you see, after the Serpents won the race last year, the Ghoulies decided it was one too many wins on their part. Decided they needed to take out the Serpents’ star driver — the boy who had been handing them their asses year after year. So, they had one of their boys hide away in the DeSantos trailer. Killed Joaquin with one minute to spare before Purge Night was over. The poor Serpent had walked in still drunk and on a high from yet another win.

They say he still had a smile on his face when his little brother found him. 

Toni shakes herself of the image, as she faces the road once more. This year could make or break the Serpents. If Jones can win this, it will not only cement his place within their ranks, but prove to any one who has any doubts that the Serpents are still a force to be reckoned with — their King imprisoned or not. But if Jones loses? 

There will be hell to pay.

Toni keeps her eyes on the road as she suddenly sees it. 

A light in the distance, the echo of a car’s engine reaching her ears.

Everyone’s attention is suddenly back on the street as they wait with bated breath to see who it will be.

“He better fucking deliver,” Sweet Pea mutters as he suddenly reappears beside her.

“He will,” Toni responds. 

Not doubting him once.

And almost as if doing it to prove Toni’s point, Jones crosses the finish line and breaks hard, the car screeching as it slightly drifts.

The Serpents’ raucous cheers fill the air.

“I don’t hate to say I told you so,” Toni playfully singsongs with a shit-eating grin on her face. Sweet Pea just rolls his eyes once more, as Fangs loudly cheers from where he stands on the other side of him.

The Ghoulies’ driver, Malachai, reaches them a beat later and slows to a stop. He gets out of his car and everyone watches, the moment suddenly tense until — the two formally shake hands. 

A collective sigh of relief fills the air. 

_Another year secured_ , Toni thinks. 

Jones turns to smile in their direction and opens his mouth to speak, but before he or anyone else can proclaim anything, a shot rings out —

And Malachai hits the ground with a howl of pain.

Everyone freezes for half a beat, before a Serpents’ shouts can be heard, “Gargoyles!”

One hell of a bloody mess indeed.

* * *

In all honesty, Toni feels like maybe she shouldn’t have been all that surprised. The Gargoyles have been nipping at the heels of both gangs ever since they suddenly surfaced earlier this year. The group had done nothing but mock the idea of a Purge Pact. 

The Serpents had done a little bit of recon on them then, per Jones’s orders. They had found out that the Gargoyles had a bit of a reputation for crashing through small towns and ripping their Purge Night traditions apart. 

Burning the whole place down.

It had happened in a little town called Athens not too far from Riverdale.

And it seemed like Riverdale was poised to be next.

Unless they could stop it.

Gunfire fills the air as all three gangs trade shots back and forth as best they can. The Ghoulies catching the Gargoyle’s heat first as they use their cars for cover. The Serpents trying their best to head to their bikes and lead this battle elsewhere.

To the Wyrm.  
To where they have home court advantage.

Toni does her best to find the right moment to climb atop her bike, using it as a shield for now. 

“Now!” she suddenly hears Sweet Pea shout from where he’s hiding by his own bike and Toni doesn’t need to be told twice.

She jumps up just as Sweet Pea sprays some cover fire for them. She jumps in her bike quick and watches as the boys do the same. 

Toni takes the opportunity to quickly glance around one last time.

The Ghoulies crowding into their cars, heading out as quick as possible, the rest of their vehicles be damned.  
The Serpents shooting as best they can to buy each other time to mount their bikes and ride.

The Northsiders gone. 

_Must of hightailed it outta here quic–_

_Fuck_ , Toni thinks as she spots her. 

The redhead.

Running for the woods.

A gaggle of Gargoyles behind her.

Toni only hesitates for a beat.

“Damn it Topaz!” she hears Sweet Pea yell as he no doubt watches her head for the woods rather than down the road.

“Find a manhole!” she hears Fangs yell in support, just as their bikes suddenly take off. No doubt headed for the Wyrm as protocol demands.

Toni sighs to herself.

 _Damn those legs_ , Toni can’t help but think.

* * *

If there’s one thing Toni is grateful for, as she flies through the forest on her motorcycle in the middle of the night, is Sweet Pea’s Purge Practices. Growing up, they would run all around Fox Forest, slowly learning the trails like the backs of their hands — preparation for when this moment came: when they would have to run through these woods to survive. 

It’s a minute later when Toni sees the masked creeps up ahead. She doesn’t slow down, she doesn’t stop, and as the Gargoyles turn she knows they’ve realized they only have one choice:

Get out of the way or she’ll plow right through them.

She watches as they all dive out of her way and Toni does her best to break, her motorcycle almost tipping over as she turns.

“Come on!” she shouts at the redhead lying on the ground beside them. The girl hesitates for a beat before she rushes over to jump on the back of Toni’s bike. As soon as Toni feels her arms wrap around her, they’re off. The girl squeezes tight, no doubt terrified, as Toni speeds through the woods. She turns onto a trail that she knows leads near the Wyrm, but has to stop in her tracks as she sees them. Or rather, _him_.

Kurtz.

The piece of shit Gargoyle leader on a motorcycle just up ahead. Flanked by masked creeps on either side.

Toni can see his creepy smile even from all the way over there.

“Fuck,” Toni says as she revs her bike and heads back into the forest.

 _A manhole it is then_ , she thinks. _Let’s just hope we get to one in time._

* * *

She drives around for what must only be a few minutes, but they feel like an eternity with the sound of Kurtz and his boys just behind them — until Toni finally catches sight of one. She stops hard.

“In there!” she shouts at the girl. The two dismount the bike in a hurry, Toni rushing over to unlock the hatch.

“Go,” Toni says, but the girl hesitates as she eyes the darkness below. “It’s either in there with me or out here with them,” Toni reminds her as the noise of Kurtz’s bike gets closer. 

The girl goes in then and Toni quickly follows her down, locking the hatch right behind her.

They made it.

A sigh of relief escapes Toni’s lips.

A light suddenly shines from below her, at the bottom of the ladder, the redhead’s phone.

Toni climbs down and pulls out a zippo lighter to guide herself over to light the candles set up across the room. Once the whole bunker is lit up, Toni turns to face the redhead. She opens her mouth to say something, but before any words can come out, loud banging reaches their ears.

Kurtz’s muffled taunts coming through the manhole as he tries his best to pry it open.

“It’s no use,” Toni reassures the girl as she catches her warily looking towards the entrance of the bunker. “It’s reinforced. Locked from the inside. He can’t get in.”

The girl hesitantly nods as she glances around the space.

Toni takes the opportunity to reach for her phone. She checks the time.  
  
**7:32pm**

Toni groans.

_It’s going to be a long night._

* * *

She’s not sure how long it’s been, but suddenly the noises from above go quiet. Toni sighs in relief once more. 

“Looks like they’re gone,” she says as she locks eyes from her place sitting atop the bed with the redhead at the table. The other girl only nods softly in response.

“You good? Are you hurt?” Toni asks as she stands from the bed then. “Because we have a first aid kit here, if you need it.”

“The only true damage was to my ego, thankfully. That, and well, these shoes,” the girl responds gesturing with a wrinkled nose to her heels covered in mud.

“She speaks,” Toni playfully teases as she reaches for the first aid kit under the bed.

The girl rolls her eyes in response.

“I could have taken them on my own if I had been properly equipped.”

“That, uh, sure is a funny way of saying thank you,” Toni states with a raised eyebrow, as she stands back up and places the first aid kit on the table regardless.

“Yes, well.”

A beat passes and when no other words come from the girl’s mouth Toni can’t help but laugh.

“Damn. Tough crowd. And here I thought me saving your life might mean you’d throw me a bone.”

“I’m well aware of the sort of _bone_ you’re looking for,” the girls says between gritted teeth.

And it’s then that Toni catches the way she’s wearily looking at the bed.

 _Oh_.

“I have none to throw,” the girl says giving her a fake smile.

“That’s not what this is about,” Toni responds seriously then.

The other girl merely raises an eyebrow in return.

“I didn’t save your life so that you’d... _fuck me_ or whatever. Do I think you’re hot? Sure. But I saved you because it was the right thing to do. I’m not...demanding anything in return,” she answers with a shrug of her shoulders.

“You expect me to believe that when you’ve brought me down into this chamber? Pray tell, how many women have the Serpents brought here under false pretenses over the years only to force their way, hm?”

“None,” Toni answers, a hard edge to her voice. “The Serpents don’t _force_ anybody. If you’re looking for the sick fuckers who _do_ they’re outside — where we left them. This isn’t some dungeon and you’re not my prisoner. Purge Night or not.”  
  
“So what is this place then?” the girl demands.

“A safe haven. A hideaway for situations like this.”

The tension in the room is so palpable, Toni feels as if she can almost taste it.

A beat passes as the girl takes in her words. Toni can see her carefully considering them.

“You’re allowed to leave whenever you want,” Toni adds softly.

Another beat passes before the girl speaks again.

“Do you have anything to drink?” she asks, a softer look in her eyes. “I’m positively parched.”  
  
_As close to a compromise as a princess gets_ , Toni thinks to herself. But honestly? Given the circumstances, Toni can’t even hold it against her.

Toni nods as she heads for the small fridge in the corner of the bunker and pulls out two bottles of water. She walks back over and hands one to the girl before she retreats back to sit on the bed. Giving her as much space as she can in this small hole.

“Thank you,” the girl says after she’s downed half the bottle.

“No problem.”  
  
“Cheryl,” the girl suddenly says. “Cheryl Blossom.”

“I know,” Toni responds, because of course she does. She’s known all along who the redhead is.

It’d be impossible not to.

Toni still remembers the chill that ran down her spine last year when she’d read the Purge Count in The Register the next day:  
  
**Blossom, Jason —** ** _deceased_ | ****Purger:** **Clifford Blossom** | **Relation:** **Father**

It’s a sick thing to take advantage of your one day of crime and use it to kill your own damn son. Even sicker, Toni remembers thinking, it’s taking credit for it in the papers. She would think a man like that might have wanted to keep his death anonymous.

 _Guess the wicked really do live in a different world_ , Toni had thought at the time.

“Of course you do,” Cheryl mutters, her eyes landing on the table then. And Toni can’t help but feel bad. Feels suddenly sorry for making it obvious where her mind went.

“Toni Topaz,” she responds and Cheryl brings her eyes back up to her face.

“So why did you save me then, Toni Topaz? If not to bring me here to…” she trails off then, the details unneeded.

“Like I said, it was the right thing to do.”

“It’s Purge Night. There is no right thing to do,” the girl rebuffs, her voice hard.

“Maybe not to some, but there is to me.”

Cheryl eyes her then, an indescribable look in her eyes.

As if she’s trying to look into Toni’s soul to catch a glimpse of the truth within it.

Toni lets her look for as long as she wants.

* * *

It’s a while later, when Toni decides to break the silence that has engulfed them.

“So what happened?”  
  
“What do you mean?”

“Earlier. Where’d your Northside friends go and why didn’t you go with them?”

“Reggie Mantle,” Cheryl responds.  
  
“That your boyfriend?”  
  
“I’m positively ill at the mere suggestion.”

Toni snorts in amusement at her response, “So? What did this Reggie Mantle do?”

“He spent the entire ride out to the race chattering on about how he hoped he’d find someone to ‘lay out’ as it were. And wouldn’t you know it, the moment the first shot rang out he bolted so quickly for his car it’s a miracle he even waited for Josie and Kevin to get in. Although, to be fair, Kevin did almost fall out of the car since he hadn’t even shut the door properly. And well, Veronica and Betty didn’t hesitate to jump into the car with Jughead and Archie, which left me...all alone, as it were.”

“Your Northside friends ditched you on Purge Night?” Toni whistles incredulously. “Damn. You need better friends.”

“Your friends ditched you too,” Cheryl snaps back and Toni can tell she’s inadvertently hit a nerve.  
  
“More like they let me go off on my own because they knew I could handle it.”

“Whatever,” Cheryl huffs as she turns back to her phone.

Toni sighs. 

She looks at the time:

**10:30pm.**

_Fuck, it’s going to really be a long night._

* * *

A crash suddenly echoes in the bunker causing Toni to startle awake.

 _Fuck, when did I fall asleep?_ she thinks to herself as she looks around and finds a sheepish Cheryl holding on to a rebar, the small shelf that housed it having fallen.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Toni can’t help but ask.  
  
“I thought I heard a noise outside.”  
  
“I told you, they can’t get in.”

“I’m aware.”

“So what the hell is that for?” Toni asks. 

When no response comes, she puts the pieces together.

“Don’t tell me you were planning on going outside?”  
  
“As I told you before, I can take care of myself when properly equipped.”  
  
“You got a degree in rebar swinging or something?” Toni can’t help but needle. 

The girl huffs in response before answering, “I’m actually a very proficient and accomplished archer.”

“That doesn’t look like a bow and arrow to me.”

“Yes, well. They’re in Reggie’s car, so this is me making the most of my circumstances.”  
  
“Cheryl. Just relax, okay? It’s,” — she pauses then to quickly look at the time — “almost 1am. Just six more hours to go. Let’s not fuck it up, okay?”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t not fuck it up?” Toni asks genuinely confused.

“ _Relax_ , Toni. I can’t relax,” Cheryl then snaps.

“Do you want to take the bed?”

Toni watches as the girl considers it for a moment before shaking her head.

“I promise I’m not going to try anything,” Toni softly says properly sitting up now.

“I know,” Cheryl softly responds. “I...believe you.”  
  
“I get it, though. Purge Nights can be really stressful, no matter how safe you technically are.”  
  
“I’ve never been safe,” Cheryl scoffs. “Not one single Purge Night of my life. And I’ve been at home for every single one of them,” she confesses with a humorless laugh.

Toni feels her heart ache. 

She knows what it’s like to feel unsafe in your own home, what with her bastard uncle, but Toni has always had the Serpents to take care of her. They’ve had her back through thick and thin. Always there when she needed them. _Hell,_ she knows they’d come and get her out of this bunker right now if she texted them to. Has already had to calm Sweet Pea down to stop him from doing just that and putting himself at risk.

Toni’s always had somebody.

But if what she’d read in the paper last year and what she saw tonight are any indication?

It looks like Cheryl Blossom has never had _anybody_.

And Toni’s heart aches at the thought.

A beat passes, before Cheryl speaks again.

“You know what? This is actually the safest I’ve ever felt on a Purge Night. The safest I’ve ever truly been. In a bunker, in the middle of the woods, trapped with a Southside Serpent while a group of Gargoyles are out there hunting,” she chuckles. “I guess I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop any minute now,” she says, her hands tightening around the rebar.

“You deserve better,” Toni can’t help but answer.

Cheryl eyes widen, seemingly in shock at her statement. As if it’s some completely foreign concept.

“Better family. Better friends,” Toni continues as she watches Cheryl take in her words. “I can’t really do much for the first...but, I uh, could maybe work on the second?”

“Are you asking to be my friend Toni Topaz?” Cheryl asks, a playful look in her eyes now.

“Yeah, I am.”

A beat passes, before Cheryl’s sincere response comes through.

“I think I’d like that,” the other girl whispers.

“Me too,” Toni responds just as softly.

The two smile at each other for a beat then.

“Cheryl.”

“Hmm?” 

“Take the bed.”

“Toni—”

“I’ll keep watch.”

“I can take care of mysel—”  
  
“— _Yourself_ , I know. So let me show you that I can take care of you too.”

“Why would you do that?” Cheryl asks, her voice slightly shaky. As if truly caught off guard and befuddled by such a request.

“ _Because_ , Cheryl Blossom. That’s what friends do.”  
  


* * *

The rest of the night passes by without much fanfare. Cheryl falls asleep almost instantly and Toni spends her time alternating between keeping watch and texting the boys, who have managed to clear out the Gargoyles from the majority of their turf.  
  
A very busy night for the Serpents.

Toni eyes her cellphone as she watches the time change.

**6:58am**

**6:59am**

**7:00am**

Cheryl’s phone alarm goes off and the girl bolts upright at the sound.

“Good morning,” Toni says as Cheryl quickly turns. Toni watches as her body sags in relief as she gets her bearings.  
  
“It’s over?” Cheryl asks.

“It is.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Let’s,” Toni agrees.

The two of them go around blowing out the candles in the room, allowing for only their phones to light their way.

Toni goes up first, unlocking the hatch door.

The light of day shines down bright on them.

It’s over. 

They survived.

* * *

If she’s honest though, Toni feels as if she should have expected it. 

The two of them have barely locked the hatch back up, before there’s a rustling in a bush just behind them.

Toni turns quickly, barely catching sight of the masked Gargoyle rushing her way, before he crashes into her — the two falling to the ground. Toni manages to hold him off before a sickening crunch is heard and the Gargoyle collapses on top of her. Toni shoves him off and quickly stands. She looks to her side and sees Cheryl holding on to a thick branch.

“Told you I could handle it,” the girl says with a hair flip.

Toni shakes her head in amusement.

 _I’m so fucked_ , she can’t help but think as she watches the gorgeous girl before her with a smile.

* * *

She drops Cheryl off right in front of the gates to her mansion. As the other girl dismounts the bike, Toni cuts off the engine in order to properly say goodbye.

“I’ll be seeing you?” she asks, her voice slightly hesitant because, well. 

Purge Night does a lot of things to a lot of people. And in the light of morning, some find it pretty easy to dismiss it all. To throw it out with the trash and call it a night.

What happens in Purge Night stays in Purge Night.

Toni hopes that’s not what’s about to happen.

“Well,” Cheryl begins. “That is what friends do, right?” Cheryl responds. “I’ve recently realized I’m not well-versed in having...any to be honest. So forgive me if I’m not quite up to par in the role just yet.”

Toni can’t help but grin.

“I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Good.”

Cheryl turns and begins to walk away then, before she suddenly pauses and turns back to Toni.

“One last thing. Did you mean what you said last night?” she nervously asks.

“All of it,” Toni sincerely responds. 

“So you really think I’m hot?” 

Toni’s mouth falls open at the question, sees the playful look in Cheryl’s eyes yes, but also the vulnerability lying just beneath them.

“Very much so,” Toni earnestly responds getting a laugh out of Cheryl — along with a very prominent blush.

“See you soon, T.T.! Toodles!” the girl responds as she walks away for real now.

And as Toni watches her go, she’s left with only one thought:

_Thank god for those legs._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> next one-shot will be up on monday! have a good one guys 💕
> 
> aaaand if you have any questions about this series, feel free to come over to my [tumblr](https://distractioncake.tumblr.com/) to ask! much love ✨


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